Enough with the Self-Obsession

Everywhere you look in Hong Kong, people are taking selfies

Recently some colleagues and acquaintances and I have been talking about how people have become so obsessed with social media that it's become completely absurd.

Do we need to know what you're drinking?

There's a new hipster coffee shop that opened in my neighbourhood, and now every weekend there are throngs of people there -- just to take pictures -- to show that they are at the latest hot spot. Once they get their cups of coffee, they take selfies with the waterfront in the background, or the shop behind them.

The shop is located on the corner and there's heavy traffic right in front -- with so many people around the store, there's bound to be a car accident because people are too busy concentrating on taking pictures of themselves.

My colleague sarcastically joked that these people were proving that they had ticked another item off their bucket list, or that their social media posts would include hashtags like #lifegoals or #nocoffenolife or #goalaccomplished.

So getting a cup of coffee is an accomplishment?

Another acquaintance told of visiting a Japanese pancake shop, where the pancakes have egg whites folded into them to make them thick and jiggly, the latest dessert trend in Hong Kong. She reported that the customers who arrived just before her were a young couple.

Why not eat the pancakes instead of taking pictures of them?

She was there for about 45 minutes to make a video at the shop, take some footage of the signature pancakes, and eat them. When she was leaving, she noticed the couple was still sitting there, the man looking very bored and hungry while his female partner was still taking pictures of the pancakes from every conceivable angle.

Surely the pancakes were stone cold by then?

And then yet another acquaintance who was in a restaurant in Taiwan recently, and he saw the group of people next to them get up and go, and left behind a dish that was completely untouched. They had only come to photograph the food.

What a waste.

She wants to show everyone she had a bubble tea here

He also said he was in a cafe and a woman sat in a corner and was taking non-stop selfies of herself -- for an hour.

When will this self-absorbed obsession for likes and followers end?

How about putting the phone down and instead of focusing on taking the perfect picture, how about focusing on the moment?

Serious Coffee in Kennedy Town

Spanish latte (top) and matcha latte at Arabica

The Year of the Pig started with a video call with family back home before heading out for dim sum with relatives here.

Afterwards we wandered around IFC mall checking out a few boutiques -- even Hong Kong architect Andre Fu's new furniture line in Lane Crawford before heading back to Kennedy Town.

I remembered a coffee shop was going to open by the water and we took a look -- there was a crowd of people on the corner and it was.

The sleek Japanese interior is clean and soothing

The shop is called Arabica, but is known by its logo, a % symbol.

I didn't know this but it was started in Discovery Bay in 2013 by Kenneth Shoji, who has a coffee farm in Hawaii. The company also has locations in IFC mall, the Star Ferry in Tsim Sha Tsui, Taikoo and now in Kennedy Town.

The newly-opened shop has two floors, the second floor just for seating -- it's quite neat as it overlooks Victoria Harbour so you practically feel next to the water even though it's across the street.

Somehow everyone found out the shop was open today and we had to wait 15 minutes for coffee here, and it's not cheap either -- a short matcha latte cost HK$50, a Spanish latte HK$45.

There was a small dedicated army of people making the drinks non stop -- was this a menial task for them or a labour of love?

Outside the shop admiring our drinks

Finally we got our drinks and they were very nicely presented. Outside the shop the window ledge was low and wide enough for us to sit down with our cups. The matcha latte was nice, not too bitter and creamy, while the Spanish latte was very smooth and well blended. Now I can see why coffee nerds rave about this place.

Lots of people with dogs passed by us, while others walked by to check out why so many people were hanging out here.

Looks like the coffee wars will be breaking out soon -- with Arabica now open, the convenient Cofftea will have even stiffer competition along with Winston's that not only offers cups of java, but also alcoholic drinks too.

Never knew Kennedy Town to be such a coffee neighbourhood, but there you have it -- probably more people will be drawn to the area particularly on the weekends to check out Arabica's latest location.

% Arabica
Shop 4, 1 Davis Street
Kennedy Town
2326 4578

Contemporary Art at Maxxi

Near the entrance to Maxxi, the Zaha Hadid-designed art museum

After we had our fill of classical art at Galleria Borghese, we took a completely different turn and went modern at Maxxi, a national museum of contemporary art and architecture in Flaminio district in Rome.

Inside there are numerous staircases and rooms to enter

The museum is also appropriately housed in a building designed by the late Zaha Hadid, who was chosen from among 273 candidates from around the world.

We didn't really get a good look of the outside, but inside it was very sleek, lots of curves and straight lines, nothing symmetrical either.

While the building was a piece of art in itself, the contemporary art was hard for us to understand! There were lots of strange videos one would see at Art Basel and leave you wondering:

a) How did you come up with this idea?
b) Why did you come up with idea?
c) What does this mean?
d) Does it really take art to another level?

Chinese characters and French words written in sheet metal

When we visited Maxxi, the exhibition "African Metropolis. An Imaginary City" was on. Again most of it we didn't really understand, but a few pieces were very interesting.

One of them was called "Wo Shi Feizhou/Je Suis Africain by Francois-Xavier Gbre. It's a series of mixed media, but what was particular interesting was what was written on sheet metal.

It was a triptych of three dark pieces of sheet metal and there were Chinese and French words written in three columns.

The ones on the far left were Chinese characters in simplified Chinese, followed by French words, then more simplified Chinese characters in parentheses. For a Chinese person living in Africa, this was a kind of cheat sheet. The word they wanted to say was on the far left, but was pronounced in French like the characters on the far right.

A close-up of the words and pronunciation!

For us who could read some Chinese this was very funny but also interesting!

Another work we liked was a photograph by Kiluanji Kia Henda with the title "Le Merchand de Venise" or the Merchant of Venice.

In the description the artist pays homage to the play by William Shakespeare by having a Senegalese musician dressed in brightly striped clothing and on his arms are what at first glance look like designer bags, but in fact are fake; this is his way of trying to make a living in Venice, much like many other African street vendors.

Henda's photo looks striking at first, but when you realize what is going on it's actually very ironic, but in a subtle way.

The Merchant of Venice by Henda

We pretty much finished going through the museum in an hour and waited for others in our group by hanging out in the museum shop that also had a cafe that served fantastic coffee for 1.50 euros!

Afterwards we took the tram back to Flamino metro station and then took the train back to our hotel.

Timmy's Coming to China

More coffee coming to China via Tim Hortons in the next 10 years

When you go to China and tell them you're Canadian, the first thing they say is Norman Bethune, the doctor from Gravenhurst, Ontario who performed battlefield operations during the Sino-Japanese war for the Communists.

But maybe soon their association with Canada will be Tim Hortons.

That's because the Canadian coffee and doughnut chain is planning to open more than 1,500 restaurants in China in the next 10 years through an agreement with a private equity firm.

The chain is named after hockey player Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons is named after the Canadian hockey player who, after retirement set up a fast food chain that originated from Hamilton, Ontario. There are now over 4,600 restaurants in nine countries.

"We have two main priorities at Tim Hortons: building and strengthening our brand in Canada; and expanding our iconic Canadian brand to the rest of the world," the chain's president, Alex Macedo, said in a statement.

"China's population and vibrant economy represent an excellent growth opportunity for Tim Hortons in the coming years."

Sounds like the hopeful belief that there are 1.2 billion people in China and if they each buy my product for a dollar...

And for Macedo to say China's economy is "vibrant" shows his lack of understanding of the country -- growth there has slowed significantly in the last few years. Maybe he means relative to Canada's economy?

Timbits are the "holes" from the doughnuts. Nothing wasted

"We have already seen Canada's Chinese community embrace Tim Hortons and we now have the opportunity to bring the best of our Canadian brand to China with established partners who have expertise in the industry and the country," he added.

Tim Hortons is owned by Restaurant Brands, which also has Burger King and Popeyes in its portfolio. Interesting those latter brands are in Hong Kong, but not Tim Hortons. Or maybe Hongkongers would consider it too downmarket?

In any event, the fast-food market is getting crowded in China -- we just hope that Tim Hortons manages to find a foothold there and become just as ubiquitous as Starbucks.

How do you say "Timbits" and "double double" in Mandarin?

Coffee Robot

Get your cup of coffee made by a robot in San Francisco

Care to have your coffee prepared by a robot?

That's what's happening at Cafe X in San Francisco.

The small shop on Market Street has a robot that can manage many orders at once and even waves at some customers (though not us) when it's completed the order.

Make your order on a tablet first then the robot will make it

First customers choose what kind of drink they want on a tablet menu, ranging from Americano to cappuccino, espresso macchiato, flat white, hot chocolate and even matcha latte, with prices ranging from US$3-4.

Then they pay by credit card and input their mobile phone number so that they can receive a four-digit code when the coffee is ready.

Next the customers move over to the main event -- a semi-circle of class where there are two coffee machines and a white robotic arm that picks up cups of java and gives them to the customers at three slots who punch in the four-digit code.

While the coffee tastes decent, it's gimmicky enough for people to want to try it. The whole experience is quiet and relatively hassle free if you are familiar with the process. There's even swanky tunes playing in the shop that has a few seats, though most just take the coffee out.

I was told there are three of these shops in San Francisco and they are now creating a service where you can order ahead online and then use the four-digit code to pick up your coffee when you arrive.

Perhaps this is something for Hong Kong to consider, with rents being so high and it's hard to hire staff in hospitality -- why not a robot that can serve several people at once? However, it could be a money-losing prospect if the robot ever breaks down...

Cafexapp.com​

 

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Miscellaneous Items on the MTR

Walking onto the MTR train, you don't know what you'll see on your commute

Hong Kong's MTR is arguably the most efficient form of public transport in the world. Not only is it a fast network, but also very clean, thanks to its policy of not eating drinking.

However there are people who violate this rule, many non-Chinese carrying takeaway coffee cups to help them wake up before going to work, while locals carry water bottles or juice.

MTR staff have seen people eat fast-food breakfasts on the train, and even cases of commuters freely eating durian and drinking beer! I have yet to witness this myself.

There have been reports of bizarre items brought onto trains too. One person carried a replica of the Green Dragon Crescent Blade [weapon used by Guan Yu in the historical novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms], and long spears, while some others seemed to move house using the MTR.

Someone seemed to have a relaxing ride on the MTR...

They have carried washing machines, refrigerators, big mattresses and even wardrobes onto the train. Guess they didn't even want to hire a Go-Go Van or a taxi...

Again I haven't seen that either, though I have seen people bring small mattresses on the MTR one late evening when it wasn't too busy.

But there was someone who strung a hammock between two poles and lay in it!

Sampling Treats at Lee Tung Avenue

Love it or loathe it -- Lee Tung Avenue from Queen's Road East

This afternoon I met a food writer friend visiting from Vancouver and after a very good traditional dim sum at Hoi King Keen in the InterContinental Grand Stanford, we went over to Wan Chai where he was taken on a tour of Lee Tung Avenue.

The coffee here is expensive, but expertly made

The are area used to be known as "Wedding Card Street", where shops would help couples get their invitations printed up. They were moved out so that a massive residential/commercial development could come up. In the end it's a pedestrian-only strip that tourists think is neat, while others think it's a gentrification exercise gone totally wrong.

Nevertheless my friend sampled the Japanese coffee at Omotesando Koffee and said it was spot on, very smooth. He admired the clean minimalist design of the place, as well as nearby Japanese bakery Yoku Moku, appreciating the preciseness of how all the cakes were made and presented.

We even tried Calbee, a Japanese potato chip shop that is a nostalgic favourite for Hong Kong people, something I was unfamiliar with. At this place, people can order freshly made potato chips in various combinations, including with soft serve ice cream, or topped with chocolate sauce or cheese sauce.

Typhoon shelter spicy chips with soft serve ice cream

Curious, we tried the limited edition Hong Kong typhoon shelter one that featured spicy chips with soft serve ice cream (HK$38). Just a few minutes later came a large paper bowl filled with the spicy waffled chips with soft serve in a small cup. It was a nice presentation, and there were no broken chips at all -- they are all sorted out during the production process.

The chips themselves were mildly spicy and so when they were paired with the ice cream, the spiciness was dulled, tasted sweet and salty, and there were the textures of crunchy and soft, hot and cold.

At first my friend was indifferent to it, thinking it was bizarre, but interesting. After trying a few more he admitted they began to grow on him.

Previously I didn't understand why people lined up to buy these chips, but now I do, because how can you beat having freshly-made chips? Not that I will specifically go and order these myself, but now I know what all the fuss is about.

Our strawberry-passion fruit rose gelato

We also tried some gelato by Givres and the gelato is scooped up flat and then arranged around a cone like a rose. My friend had never seen this before so we ordered one to try, in strawberry and passion fruit flavours (HK$66 two flavours).

He was very impressed. I had tried it last year in Paris thought not as artfully arranged as this one. The two fruit flavours were delicious and not too sweet. While the amount of gelato isn't the same as other ice creams you'd get in places like Haagen-Daz, at least it's pretty looking!